Sustainable Biomass Fuels in Ireland

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Forests, farms and everyday organic waste can provide us with biomass fuel but sources vary in availability, cost and the amount of CO2 they save.

Our most optimistic estimate suggests there could be enough biomass resource available to supply about 30% of the energy we use today.

Agricultural wastes and residues

Other by-products and wastes

Forestry

Energy crops

2020

1.35

3.64

0.89

5.11

2025

1.71

4.05

3.14

8.35

2030

1.82

4.47

2.98

13.83

2035

2.01

4.81

4.92

21.16

But when we look at the costs and sustainability of biomass fuel processing in Ireland, the amount available can reduce.

Ireland’s biomass resources

Market prices for biomass resources impact the availability of the product. The higher the price, the more resources can be viably grown, harvested and refined.

Forestry by-products

Based on availability and existing market prices, forestry and the by-products of the forestry industry have the largest biomass resource potential. Right now, most of our bioenergy comes from sawdust and off-cuts which are by-products of the forestry industry.

Energy crops

Energy crops have a large potential. Crops like grass silage are widely available and crops like short rotation willow have significant potential. But because farming them needs to be a viable prospect, they need higher market prices to make financial sense.

EU directives

Sustainability requirements for solid and gaseous biomass in installations of a certain size.

Sustainability requirements for liquid biofuels.

We need to ensure that biomass regulations like these do not indirectly cause a negative effect on our environment. If, for example, adhering to a policy means having to increase the use of fertiliser, then the overall sustainability impact of the process would reduce.

Supply chains will need to demonstrate good performance. Ireland's agricultural agency, Teagasc, is working with farmers to develop sustainable cultivation practices. These can have a large positive impact on grass cultivation in particular.

SEAI Bioenergy Framework

Determine sustainability risks of biomass fuels with our downloadable framework. This is not a substitute for full life-cycle assessments, nor an appropriate tool to prove compliance with sustainability requirements.

Additional tools

There are many resources to help inform biomass users about sustainability impact. While these can help establish savings, they have not been developed specifically for Ireland. It is worth being aware of individual scheme parameters and requirements during research.